Anthrax Winding Down, But Still a Mystery

Nov. 15, 2001 — -- The wave of human anthrax cases spread through contaminated mail appears to be winding down, but investigators don't appear to be much closer to discovering who was behind the attacks.

To date, there have been 17 officially confirmed cases and five suspected infections, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Those numbers have not changed for more than two weeks. The last case, a skin anthrax infection in a 38-year-old New York Post employee, was made public Nov. 2.

"If you look at the epidemic curve … there was an initial cluster, and then a second cluster of cases, and we're at the end of that," said Jim Hughes, director of the National Center for Infectious Diseases.

For now, Hughes said, federal, state and local health officials "remain on a very high level of alert" for the possibility of further biological or chemical attacks, and will remain so "until the criminals who perpetrated this [wave of anthrax-laced letters] are caught."

But investigators have voiced frustration, and the quick capture of the person or people who sent the anthrax-laced letters to Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle and various media outlets seems unlikely.

The trail of known contaminated letters has grown cold. The FBI has asked people to come forward if they recognize the handwriting on the envelopes, or can think of a suspect based on a likely profile released last week. According to the profile, the culprit is likely a nonconfrontational male loner with a scientific background.

Investigators are citing few other active leads, but several questions:

Health and law enforcement investigators wonder how Kathy T. Nguyen , 61, contracted the inhalation form of anthrax.

Nguyen, a Vietnamese immigrant who lived in New York City's Bronx borough, was the last person to die of the disease. Tests for the presence of anthrax at her work, her home and on her clothes all have turned out negative. Health officials are awaiting results on environmental samples taken along the subway line she took to work at Manhattan's Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital.